Hot air balloon hits power lines during Michigan Challenge Balloonfest

June 25, 2018

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ABCNews.com(HOWELL, Mich) -- A hot air balloon pilot will live to fly another day after surviving a terrifying crash.

At about 8 a.m. Sunday during the Michigan Challenge Balloonfest in Howell, Michigan, the hot air balloon, flying over Thompson Lake, struck power lines, causing a fiery explosion, according to event organizers and ABC Detroit affiliate WXYZ-TV.

The pilot, flying solo, escaped uninjured, the completion director said in a statement, which did not identify the pilot.

Dave Park, who said he was bass fishing on the lake at the time, told WXYZ how he saw the incident unfold. Park was taking pictures of the picturesque sky decorated with colorful balloons when one balloon began to descend from the sky, collided with overhanging power lines and erupted into flames, he said.

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